JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Nationally-recognized civil rights activist, Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver a eulogy for Angela Carr, one of the Jacksonville Dollar General shooting victims on Friday at her memorial service in Jacksonville, announced in a press release shared with First Coast News Wednesday.
Carr, 52, was shot and killed in a racially motivated shooting that took place at a Dollar General, located at 2161 Kings Rd. in Jacksonville on Aug. 26. Her family has since decided the memorial service will be closed-casket due to the severity of Carr's fatal injuries, the release states.
Sharpton will be joined by Attorney Ben Crump who will deliver a national call for justice at Carr's memorial service that will take place at Bethel Baptist Church in the Springfield area of Jacksonville, in which will be led by Bishop Rudolph McKissack, a national NAN board member, the release states.
Last Thursday on Aug. 31, Sharpton was joined by the family and descendants of Martin Luther King Jr. at the nation's capital to announce and suggest that the next national hate crimes summit shouldn't be at the White House - he wants to bring it to Jacksonville. Leaders from civil rights organizations accompanied Sharpton and the King family to mark 60 years since the March on Washington.
He spoke of a similar reenactment, saying this time, people were marching for "today's issues," emphasizing that the work is not done.
"As we were marching, there was a hate crime committed in Jacksonville," Sharpton said.
Sharpton and the King family met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris two days following the shooting on Aug. 28, to mark what became a cornerstone protest in U.S. history. During their meeting, Biden decried racism after learning the events that took place in the racially motivated attack.
"We are having eery memory that as much hope as we represent, there's always going to be those that will keep hate alive," Sharpton said.
Sharpton says in the wake of the tragedy, it's time for the White House to host another summit to address hate-motivated violence - and federal officials need to do it where hate lives.
"It's time for No. 2," Sharpton said, "we want to do it in Jacksonville, Florida. We told the president we want to go to Jacksonville."
The White House hosted the United We Stand Summit last year "to counter the corrosive effects of hate-fueled violence on our democracy and public safety." It also honored communities that were healing in the wake of hateful attacks, such as El Paso, Atlanta, Buffalo and others.
Sharpton says it's time to hold more people accountable.
He wants to go to more businesses and review commitments they made after the death of Georgia Floyd, citing diversity in employment and contracts, and take a closer look at efforts of inclusivity.
"We told the president that there must be more done more about curriculum of nonviolence," he said. "It was an open and candid meeting but we leave here determined to continue to stand together across racial lines and generations and try and make this country move forward," Sharpton said in part.
"Our Chief Diversity Officer along with other local stakeholders, will meet virtually with the ADL later today [Thursday] to learn more about this proposal," Melissa Ross, spokesperson for Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, stated in an email to First Coast News, On Your Side when asked about Sharpton's statement.